Chapter 4 - THE MAN ON THE PHONE
The next morning, the threat was no longer just a voice.
A photograph arrived at my house.
It showed Sophie walking into school.
Taken from across the street.
On the back, someone had written:
WE KNOW WHERE YOU GO.
I called Detective Harris immediately.
He sent an officer to Sophie's school and another to my house.
Rachel wanted me to send Sophie away.
I refused.
“I won't let strangers decide where my daughter feels safe.”
Rachel grabbed my hand.
“Ethan, she's six.”
“I know.”
“And you're investigating people who already threatened you.”
“I know.”
“Then stop pretending this is only about money.”
I looked at her.
“It isn't.”
The hardest part was that Sophie understood more than I wanted her to.
That afternoon, she asked, “Daddy, is the lady from the wedding going to come back?”
“No.”
It was a lie.
She stared at me.
“Mommy used to say bad people smile.”
I froze.
“What else did Mommy say?”
Sophie shrugged.
“She said never trust pretty boxes.”
I felt a chill.
The jewelry box wasn't just a container.
Emily had used it to teach Sophie something.
I opened the box again.
There was a seam beneath the velvet lining that I hadn't noticed.
Inside was a tiny photograph.
Emily and a woman I didn't recognize.
On the back: MARA — TRUST HER.
Detective Harris knew the name.
“Mara Bell?”
“Yes.”
“She was Emily's accountant.”
“Where is she?”
“Dead.”
I stared at him.
“Dead when?”
“Two months before Emily.”
Two women.
Two deaths.
One company.
One missing fortune.
And Claire in the middle.
That evening, Daniel came to my house alone.
He looked exhausted.
“I need to tell you something before Claire gets the chance to bury it.”
“What?”
“I was with Emily the night before she died.”
I stared at him.
“You told me you weren't.”
“I lied.”
“Why?”
“Because Claire told me if I spoke, she'd destroy you and Sophie.”
I felt anger rise.
“What happened that night?”
Daniel sat down.
“Emily told me she had evidence. She said she was going to expose Claire's entire network the next morning.”
“And then?”
“She asked me to take Sophie somewhere safe.”
“Why didn't you?”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Because I believed Claire.”
I stood.
Daniel reached into his coat.
He placed a folded receipt on the table.
A private storage facility.
“Emily kept one final file there.”
“When can we get it?”
Daniel shook his head.
“We can't.”
“Why?”
“Because Claire already emptied the unit.”
My phone buzzed.
Another unknown number.
This time, the message contained four words:
May you like
YOU'RE TOO LATE, ETHAN.
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